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2012's great neighborhood eateries

'Worth the trip' is close to home with these four neighborhood joints. | John Shinkle/POLITICO

Chez Billy

Washington’s many diverse neighborhoods have a long history of reinventing themselves. Economic redevelopment seems to be spreading like wildfire all over the city — from the U Street corridor in the late ’90s to the more recent successes of the H Street Atlas District, Columbia Heights and the Southwest Waterfront.

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Now, it’s Petworth’s turn.

Eric and Ian Hilton, the fraternal forces behind Washington staples such as 18th Street Lounge and Marvin, have recently expanded their empire. Their latest is in the former Georgia Avenue site of Billy Simpson’s House of Seafood and Steaks, the midcentury, white-tablecloth eatery that catered to the city’s African-American elites. The Hiltons are calling their place Chez Billy.

“We worked on the name for a long time,” said Ian Hilton, whom we interviewed after a recent weeknight dinner. “We came up with Chez Billy almost in jest because it was going to be a French place, but let’s not forget, this place is very significant to a lot of people in the neighborhood. And we didn’t want that to get lost.”

And it’s not. Many of their patrons come because of the location’s historical significance and vintage atmosphere. They return for the excellent food by executive chef Brendan L’Etoile.

Hilton is clearly proud of L’Etoile, who previously served as sous-chef to Marvin’s Jimmy Claudio. “At Marvin,” Hilton admitted, “we had to handcuff Brendan a little bit in terms of what he could cook there. We wanted to give him an outlet. This place is French because of Brendan.”

Our recent repast started with l’os à moëlle rôti — roasted marrow bones served with pickled shallots, parsley and grilled bread. Cut in half lengthwise, they were easier to eat than other versions we’ve seen and offered a salty, mouthwatering foreshadowing of the meal.

The salade d’endives, with apples, blue cheese and walnuts, was a pile of greens that was more tender watercress than endive but still a welcome mouthful.